Similar to the federal government’s Freedom of Information Act, Pennsylvania’s Right to Know Law guarantees your right to obtain public records from state and local agencies in Pennsylvania. Note – there are a few exceptions. It also guarantees your right to obtain legislative records from the Pennsylvania General Assembly and financial records from Pennsylvania’s judicial system.
There are several ways the law’s wide grant of access may be important for your personal injury case. For example, larger municipalities, like Allentown and Bethlehem, maintain a number of video cameras that record traffic and pedestrian activity. The Right to Know Law may provide an injured party with access to video evidence of the accident. Also, the Right to Know Law can provide municipal records such as work orders and official government correspondence which could establish that the municipal entity had notice of a dangerous condition. These dangerous conditions could be on a street, sidewalk, or property. Regardless, they know about the dangerous condition but failed to repair it in a timely manner.
The Pennsylvania Right to Know Law is a powerful tool. It can make the difference between winning or losing your personal injury claim.
If you have questions about injuries you suffered in an accident, contact me today for a free, no-obligation case evaluation.
